Kids Culture 3.21.13
Busy Bunny
Easter is not until the end of the month, but the Easter Bunny will be busy already this weekend. Egg hunts and egg decorating events begin on Saturday in anticipation of the holiday. The first is at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton at 10 a.m. for children 8 and under. It starts with a story time, and then convenes to the library’s lawn, where a floppy-eared friend will be on hand. In case of rain, the hunt will be postponed to March 30.
Kids in seventh grade and above can drop in at the library during regular hours on Saturday through March 30 to make yarn eggs.
A Very Important Date
A Mad Hatter Tea Party at the Children’s Museum of the East End on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. will include an outdoor egg scavenger hunt, hat decorating, and spring arts and crafts. There will be complimentary goodies, lemonade, and tea. The party is free for members, and $18 for others.
On Sunday at 11 a.m., Sima at Sea, a storyteller, will read “Spring Is Singing.” There is no charge for the program, which is sponsored by Cultural Care Au Pair. Drop-in spring break workshops for kids 3 to 5 will be held every weekday next week. Kids will do creative play, cooking, art, and science and nature programs from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $80 per day, per child, or $75 for members. Advance registration is required. The museum is on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton.
Egg Scramble
A mad scramble for eggs is guaranteed on Saturday at 11 a.m. on the nose as the Ladies Village Improvement Society hosts an egg hunt on the grounds of its Main Street, East Hampton, headquarters. The affair is for children 2 to 9, with a separate area specifically for the younger egg finders.
Eggs-Travaganza
The Montauk Library has promised an “eggs-travaganza” for families, involving games and crafts, on Saturday afternoon from 3 to 4:30. Those who attend have been advised to take a smock or wear clothing they can part with, as things could get messy.
On Tuesday, Chip Bryant, the Silent Clown, will perform at the library from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., offering a blend of mime, clowning, juggling, magic, puppetry, and music. Registration has been requested for both programs but is not required.
Coloring Festa
The Easter Bunny will be on hand Sunday at Cittanuova in East Hampton during the restaurant’s annual Easter Egg Coloring Festa from 9 to 11:30 a.m. There will be eggs galore and coloring materials for kids 3 to 8, and a raffle for some sweet treats. A suggested donation of $3 will benefit the Flying Point Foundation for Autism.
Crafts and Critters
At the East Hampton Library, workshops throughout the week will help keep the schedule full for kids 4 and older. Who needs a paintbrush? Not the children who take part in Saturday’s workshop, when participants will paint with anything but a brush from 2 to 3 p.m.
On Monday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., kids can create crazy critters with real grass hair that will grow at home. Sock bunnies and spring cupcake decorating are on the agenda for Friday, March 29, with bunny-making from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and cupcakes from 1:30 to 2:30. For all workshops, kids under 7 must be accompanied by an adult. Bunnies will also be the focus of a story and craft time for kids 4 to 6 on Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. The library has requested advance sign-up for all programs.
So Much to Do
Some school spring breaks have been done away with, but parents whose children are still on vacation next week can find workshops to keep the kids entertained and engaged at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill and the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, each offered Monday through Friday, March 29.
The Parrish programs have a different focus each day — spring landscapes, Pop Art, still-life collage, spring printmaking, and garden-inspired sculpture — with sessions for 4 to 6-year-olds from 10 a.m. to noon, and sessions for kids 7 and older from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $40 per session or $30 for members. Advance registration required.
Bay Street will have a kids theater camp for 8 to 12-year-olds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Karen Hochstedler and Bethany Dellapolla will offer instruction in acting, singing, dance, and more. The cost is $385 per child. Advance registration is required through the theater.
Bluebird Watch
Land development has left fewer tree cavities for Eastern bluebirds to nest in, but the birds take well to nest boxes like the ones in the field behind the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. On Saturday, before taking 5 to 9-year-olds on a nature walk to observe the bluebirds, Crystal Possehl, a nature educator, will read them a book about a how a bluebird couple build their nest, feed their young, and get ready for winter. Then kids will make their own bluebird nests. The program starts at 10 a.m. Reservations are required, as space is limited.
Congressional Art Competition
High school art students who plan to submit their work to the annual Congressional Art Competition have until Friday, March 29, to do so. The student submissions, which are coordinated by art teachers, will be included in an exhibit in the Lyceum Gallery at Suffolk Community College’s Montaukett Learning Center in Riverhead on April 5 and 6. The East End Arts Council will curate the exhibit, and a judge will select first, second, and third-place and honorable mention winners. Winners will be announced at a reception on April 6 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Last year, Nicole Frank of East Hampton High School won for her painting “Abundance.” The winning work this year will be displayed in a yearlong exhibit in the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., with other winning pieces from around the country.